Accidentally Assisting

Chapter 20 - Surviving without you

"So, I negotiated for two hours with the driver to drop you and the others off at the hotel after the flight so you can shower. You'll only have half an hour, though, so you need to hurry. No fashion show with Tae oppa, just quickly put on what the stylists told you to put on, and let's go. Your makeup will be done at the studio right away."

It's later that day, and Jungkook and I are having a meeting (while eating lunch), so I can brief him about our first days in LA.

Jungkook just nods at this. For someone in his position, taking a detour at the hotel just to shower represents a major safety risk, we're both aware of that. In Korea, he's so famous that it wouldn't be possible at all, too many crazy stalker-fans trying to harass him. In the US, we've got a chance, though. Besides, the fact that I can speak English when contacting our American colleagues has helped tremendously.

For the first time since I've started to work for BigHit, I feel like I can actually offer the company something no one else can. Koreans are amazing at many things, but speaking fluent English is not one of them.

"So how many interviews do we have the first day? Six, right?" my boss asks while poking his gimbap with his chopsticks.

I watch him doing so before I answer: "No, we managed to change it to four. BuzzFeed wanted to interview you again, but they already recently did so when you were in the UK last month, and the American version of the channel has a bad reputation anyway these days. Either way, I talked to PR. We agree that the more time goes by, the more selective we can become with the Western interviews."

He looks up at my words, surprised. "But don't the International fans enjoy it when we do English interviews?"

"I did my research and... they'd rather watch a Korean interview with English subtitles that feels authentic than a fake, American interview. Trust me, Jungkook oppa."

"I already do that," he responds with a slight smile. "So, are we good? There are no questions anymore from my side. And you should start eating your food before it gets cold."

Satisfied, I close my laptop and start devouring my wonderful Kimchi fried rice. Ahhhh. What a blessing to this earth. "Thank you for the food."

"Mmh." He tilts his head to the side and watches me eat amusedly. Jungkook's hair has been getting longer these days, so that it partly hides his eyes. Somehow, that makes him even more attractive. The cold winter air has turned his skin pale and his cheeks rosy. Just like always on the days he has dance practice, he's wearing a simple black hoodie with the hood on so that the people in the restaurant don't recognize us.

Since he seems to be in a good mood, I decide to ask him about a request that has been lurking around in the back of my mind for a while now. "Actually... there's something else I wanted to discuss with you."

His black eyes glide over me. "Yes?"

I take a deep breath and gather all my courage. Why am I this nervous? I'm not asking anything disrespectful. "Nothing concerning you. It's something concerning me." Jungkook seems a little bit surprised at that. However, he doesn't interrupt me and instead just raises an eyebrow at me patiently. "I don't think I ever mentioned this to you, but I'm from New Jersey. It's near New York City."

My boss quietly scoffs at that. "I'm aware of where New Jersey is. Why are you telling me this?"

He hates it when I beat around the bush, so I decide to just address the issue directly. "When we're in New York, could I maybe... have one day off? So I can spend some time with my family." Before he interjects, I quickly add: "I already looked at the schedule. We're in New York for two days, and you don't need me the actual day of the concert where you'll just practice and perform. And there are enough other employees present that speak English."